Participating vs. Contributing
Letting Your Voice Find You Through Exploration
Recently, I was listening to Jacob Collier—singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer—on the Colin and Samir podcast. He made a point that hit home: our culture often pushes creators to contribute before they’ve even found their voice. As he put it:
“There’s a rush to contribute off the bat. Find your voice and then make a record, and that’s crazy to me because you have to make a bunch of records in order to find your voice at all. You don’t need to come in blazingly contributive; you can come in blazingly open and ready to be taken by surprise by yourself.”
This resonated deeply with me, especially in a time when social media puts so much emphasis on having “something to say” right away. It’s easy to feel like you need a bold perspective from day one. But maybe there’s more value in starting with curiosity than with certainty.
When you’re new to creating—or returning to it after a break—there’s a tendency to want to contribute right away. To put your stamp on something, to have a hot take, or to make a statement. But real growth often comes from participating first. You learn so much by simply showing up, creating, and repeating, even if you don’t have a perfectly polished message or identity yet. Sometimes, it’s about letting your voice find you, rather than deciding what your voice should be.
When you focus on participation, you give yourself room to experiment, to get things wrong, and to follow where your instincts lead you. You’re not forcing a unique contribution; instead, you’re soaking up influences and discovering how different elements resonate with you.
As Collier says, you can come in “blazingly open,” without the pressure to define yourself too soon. It’s about trying things out, making records, writing drafts, experimenting with visuals—getting messy with it. That’s where the “surprise” factor comes in. Sometimes you create something unexpected that wouldn’t have happened if you’d been too focused on making a contribution right away.
As you keep participating, a shift happens. Over time, your preferences, your style, and your voice start to clarify. You begin to see what you naturally lean toward, what feels most authentic. This process of discovery can’t be rushed, and it’s what ultimately gives you something meaningful to contribute.
So, the next time you feel the urge to “add value,” consider holding back just a bit. Ask yourself: am I participating fully, am I exploring enough, or am I trying to contribute prematurely? True contributions—those that come from a place of authenticity—emerge once you’ve put in the time to know yourself as a creator.
Let’s show up first, exploring and participating before adding the pressure to contribute. Because sometimes, what you really need is not to “say something” but to listen to what’s coming from within.
Keep creating and repeating,
- Zack
On this week’s Create.Repeat Podcast, I’m joined by content creator-turned-DJ Freddie, aka mini skrrt. We talk about self-expression through music and fashion, starting over and making creative pivots in your thirties, and reminisce about our time together as video producers at BuzzFeed.
Links keeping us creative:
🌀The Creative Independent: The Creative Independent is a growing resource of emotional and practical guidance for creative people, published by Kickstarter.
☝️ Index.Website: A curated online gallery of design studios, designers, type foundries, and other creatives worldwide.
🔢 101 Design Rules: Musings, ramblings, and principles that I’ve shared - from Brian Collins.
🎴 Deck Gallery: A collection of beautifully designed decks, slides, keynotes and guidelines.
Create.Repeat is a community for creatives.
The Create.Repeat Substack is a project designed to be a weekly diary on creativity. Sharing inspiration for artists to keep creating and repeating.
Written and curated by Zack Evans & James Warren Taylor
Each week we will be sharing recent thoughts on creativity, some links helping us stay creative, and soon will be including a talent show featuring an artist from the community. Thank you for engaging with us.
History repeats. Create the future.
Some Final Links:
Check Out The Podcast - Episode #4 Out Now! 🔄
"Sometimes, it’s about letting your voice find you, rather than deciding what your voice should be."
Well said!!!